Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia – Page 2

David Morrell knocks out overmatched Yamaguchi Falcao in first round

Super middleweight contender David Morrell knocked out overmatched Yamaguchi Falcao in the first round Saturday in Las Vegas.

David Morrell made a strong statement on a big stage.

The 168-pound contender needed less than a full round to put Yamaguchi Falcao down twice and brutally knock him out on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The official time was 2:22 of Round 1.

“I’m so excited,” Morrell said. “This was a big moment and a big night for me, so a knockout in the first round is incredible. But this is boxing. First round, second round, I’m not worried when the knockout comes but I got it in the first round.

“I think this is the best moment of my career tonight. It was a big event and a big name. I want to fight the best in the division.”

Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs) began to land hard power shots almost from the opening bell of the scheduled 10-rounder.

The beginning of the end came less than two minutes into the fight, when the Minneapolis-based Cuban hurt Falcao (24-2-1, 10 KOs) with a left uppercut. He followed with several more heavy blows, including a right hook that sent the Brazilian into the ropes for the first knockdown.

Falcao was able to continue but another, more brutal right hook put him back onto the canvas, where he didn’t move for several minutes.

What’s next for Morrell? He reiterated after the that he wants to face two-time titleholder David Benavidez, who is generally considered the second best super middleweight after Alvarez.

“David Benavidez is next,” he said. “Where is he? I want to fight Benavidez, man. He’s next, 100 percent. I don’t want any other guys at 168 pounds. Just Benavidez.

“I respect Benavidez and his team, but inside the ring, I don’t respect nothing.”

Morrell was defending the WBA’s “regular” 168-pound title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. Canelo Alvarez is the undisputed champion.

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David Morrell knocks out overmatched Yamaguchi Falcao in first round

Super middleweight contender David Morrell knocked out overmatched Yamaguchi Falcao in the first round Saturday in Las Vegas.

David Morrell made a strong statement on a big stage.

The 168-pound contender needed less than a full round to put Yamaguchi Falcao down twice and brutally knock him out on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The official time was 2:22 of Round 1.

“I think this is the best moment of my career tonight. It was a big event and a big name. I want to fight the best in the division.”

Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs) began to land hard power shots almost from the opening bell of the scheduled 10-rounder.

Falcao was able to continue but another, more brutal right hook put him back onto the canvas, where he didn’t move for several minutes.

What’s next for Morrell? He reiterated after the that he wants to face two-time titleholder David Benavidez, who is generally considered the second best super middleweight after Alvarez.

“David Benavidez is next,” he said. “Where is he? I want to fight Benavidez, man. He’s next, 100 percent. I don’t want any other guys at 168 pounds. Just Benavidez.

“I respect Benavidez and his team, but inside the ring, I don’t respect nothing.”

Morrell was defending the WBA’s “regular” 168-pound title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. Canelo Alvarez is the undisputed champion.

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Bektemir Melikuziev avenges KO loss to Gabriel Rosado by winning wide decision

Bektemir Melikuziev avenged his knockout loss to Gabriel Rosado by winning a wide decision on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Bektemir Melikuziev got his revenge.

The Southern California-based Uzbek, who was stopped by Gabriel Rosado in 2021, easily outpointed the veteran in their 10-round rematch on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

All three judges scored it 99-91, nine rounds to one. Boxing Junkie also had that score.

“This was the fight that I wanted,” the winner said. “This is the fight that I felt like I made a mistake in the first one, and I had this opportunity for revenge on such a big card. It’s a pleasure for me.

“In the first fight against Rosado, I underestimated my opponent. This time, we put the work in during camp. We went through everything. This time, the goal was to showcase my skills, box and punish him as much as possible, too.”

Melikuziev, a southpaw, took some time to get his bearings but began to land hard, accurate straight left hands in the third round and never looked back.

He landed more and more of his signature punch as the fight progressed, and added some right hands here for good measure, to pick Rosado apart and win round after round.

Rosado (26-17-1, 15 KOs) apparently tried to lure Melikuziev (12-1, 9 KOs) into a trap so he could duplicate the right that stopped his rival in the third round in 2021. However, it never came.

Neither did much of anything else, which made the official scoring predictable.

Melikuziev has now won five consecutive fights since his only setback. Rosado, 37, has lost four in a row since his shocking knockout.

[lawrence-related id=36951]

Bektemir Melikuziev avenges KO loss to Gabriel Rosado by winning wide decision

Bektemir Melikuziev avenged his knockout loss to Gabriel Rosado by winning a wide decision on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Bektemir Melikuziev got his revenge.

The Southern California-based Uzbek, who was stopped by Gabriel Rosado in 2021, easily outpointed the veteran in their 10-round rematch on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

All three judges scored it 99-91, nine rounds to one. Boxing Junkie also had that score.

Melikuziev, a southpaw, took some time to get his bearings but began to land hard, accurate straight left hands in the third round and never looked back.

He landed more and more of his signature punch as the fight progressed, and added some right hands here for good measure, to pick Rosado apart and win round after round.

Rosado (26-17-1, 15 KOs) apparently tried to lure Melikuziev (12-1, 9 KOs) into a trap so he could duplicate the right that stopped his rival in the third round in 2021. However, it never came.

Neither did much of anything else, which made the official scoring predictable.

Melikuziev has now won five consecutive fights since his only setback. Rosado, 37, has lost four in a row since his shocking knockout.

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Elijah Garcia, 19, survives spirited effort from Kevin Salgado to win decision

Elijah Garcia, 19, survived a spirited effort from Kevin Salgado to win a unanimous decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

Nineteen-year-old middleweight contender Elijah Garcia survived a slow start to defeat Kevin Salgado by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 97-92, 97-92 and 95-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 96-93, six rounds to four.

Salgado (15-2-1, 10 KOs) got off to a strong start, outworking a relatively inactive Garcia (15-0, 12 KOs) in the first three rounds, mostly with hard, accurate body shots.

However, Garcia began pick up his pace in Round 4 and controlled the rest of the fight to pull away on the cards.

The southpaw did it both from outside, following his jab with stinging straight lefts. And he also did on the inside, landing quick two-, three-punch combinations.

Salgado lost a point in Round 7 because of repeated low blows but that factor into the decision.

“I was standing a little too still trying to fight on the inside,” Garcia said of his slow start. “Salgado is a tough opponent. He was real tough, real strong and I just had to move and box a little bit.

“Other than that, It was a good, hard 10 rounds. I give my opponent 100 percent props.”

Garcia, who turned 20 on Wednesday, was taking part in his second scheduled 10-rounder. And it was the first time he fought beyond the sixth round.